The confirmation that all of those crazy feelings you were having were just what you suspected.
What you hoped for…The go-ahead to start dreaming,
To start planning,
To start picking out names,
To start anticipating the kicks inside of your womb,
To start dreaming of what this baby’s face will look like,
And what color hair she will have,
What her personality will be like,
What her older sisters will think of her….
The positive test,
The only physical sign you can hold when you lose a baby in an early miscarriage.
The only evidence that there was a life inside of you,
Because you never had the chance to see her heart beat or her body move…
The positive test,
The now painful reminder that even though you held that baby inside for a short while,
She isn’t there anymore…..
The positive test,
The thing I’ve prayed for for so many years of my life…
The thing that gave me such joy,
But now leaves me sorrowful….
The positive test,
I mourn the loss of what you once showed me.
But,
I praise the Lord that I had the chance to celebrate you,
If even only for a short time.
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Family-Friendly Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 15 oz can of Chili Beans
- 10.5 oz can of Tomato Soup
- 28 oz Bush's Original Baked Beans
- 46 oz Tomato Juice
- 15 oz can of Sliced White Potatoes
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in large pot.
- Drain grease from pot.
- Add in all other ingredients.
- Simmer on medium for 20 minutes.
- Serve with Cinnamon Rolls! Enjoy!
Chewy Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yoke
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 10 oz chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Melt butter in a heavy saucepan.
- Add brown sugar to a large bowl
- Pour melted butter over sugar.
- Stir to combine butter and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Add egg and egg yolk; stir to combine.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined. Please see the comments about flour in the recipe notes.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon), drop scoops of dough 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
- Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Christmas Cookie Exchange is a fun way to get a lot of different Christmas goodies in the house for the holiday season without having to do all of the work!
How does it work?
Invite a group of local friends to join in on the fun!
Each participant bakes 1 type of Christmas goodie or cookie (each person’s choice should be communicated to the group so that there are no repeat recipes!)
Each participant will bake 1 dozen goodies per 2 participants (giving each participant 6 of each goody)
Ex. 4 total participants- bake 2 dozen
Decide on a date and place for the exchange to take place and bring your goodies to share!
Take home a variety of goodies without having to do all of the hard work!!
What should I bake?
If you have a family favorite recipe – that would be a great one to make!
If you are looking for Christmas goody inspiration, follow me on Pinterest and check out my Christmas Cookie Exchange Board! – https://pin.it/wb6avxwnvwikqg
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Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 oz cubed cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup cooked and shredded chicken
- 2 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
Instructions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and sage and cook for about one minute.
- Stir in the flour and cook for about one minute, stirring constantly.
- Whisk in the chicken broth and then the half and half.
Stackable Personalized Stamped Rings
Only $15!
These are the perfect special gift to give a friend or family member without breaking the bank!
These are great to put childrens names, Bible Verses or simple phrases on!
I am in love with these rings- I have one with my favorite bible verse that reads ‘God remembered Rachel, He listened to her and opened her womb.’ Genesis 30:22
I wear it next to my daughters’ birth stone rings!
Morse Code Bracelet
Only $25
These Morse Code Bracelets make a very special gift for a loved one- they share a message that only you and the gift recipient know.
They are a sleek and beautiful piece of jewelry with a special meaning.
My sister-in-law gave me one of these after my recent miscarriage with a sweet message that I hold dear to my heart!
Stamped Bar Necklace
Only $23
These bar necklaces are another of my go-to thoughtful gift options!
These are great for children’s names!
I have one of these that reads ‘Peach & Petal’ (my girls’ nicknames!)
Custom Engraved Wooden Watch
Only $30
Looking for a great gift for your man?!
I got a similar watch for my hubby 2 years ago for Christmas–His reads “love you more” on the back. He wears it to church every Sunday, and on special dates. He always tells me how much he loves this gift!!!
]]>I was looking for recommendations on materials to use with my girls and I got wonderful feedback! I linked some of my friends favorite resources to use! These are all available on Amazon so you can have them in time for Advent season!
The Christmas Star from Afar
A Tradition For the Whole Family
Start off by reading the book as a family.
Kids know mom and dad are in on the fun!
Take turns hiding the star, let the younger ones have a chance to hide the star for their older siblings.
Don’t worry if you forget to hide the star one night! This is not a magical flying star so it can be hidden later that day. Star From Afar is a NO PRESSURE tradition.
Little Hearts Prepare Him Room
Little Hearts, Prepare Him Room is a family Advent devotional designed to grow alongside the hearts of your little ones. Allowing you to go deeper as children grow older, the readings of the well-known texts call children and parents alike to taste the grace of Christmas and to apply that grace to the parts of life that don’t make sense. With scriptures primarily from the gospels of Luke and Matthew and themes from the Westminster Confession of Faith, both content and reflection questions intend to address the heart of the matter: what God says about us in His Word and how His truth shapes our lives.
The Shepherd on the Search
Embark on a family journey and find Christ in Christmas! During the Advent season, begin reading the story of your shepherd’s timeless journey in a beautifully illustrated interactive children’s book, and let the fun begin every day as you hide your shepherd and your children find him in a new place along the search! The shepherd’s journey begins anew every Christmas season and ends on Christmas day as your shepherd finds his way to the manger. Make meaningful Christmas memories, as year after year your family delights in helping your cuddly shepherd retell the timeless story – that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas.
https://amzn.to/33D16rf – the book
https://amzn.to/2p89vnn – the book and Shepherd (not prime eligible)
Jesse Tree Ornaments – Coloring Activities Book
This is a fun project to help kids learn more about the Christian faith. This Jesse Tree helps to tell the story of the Bible from creation to the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesse Trees can be used during Advent to help prepare for Christmas. This book has 24 ornaments to color and cut out and a pattern to make a tree out of construction paper to display the ornaments. There are also Bible stories for children and Bible passages for each ornament
Jesse Tree Book and Ornaments
Bring Christ back to Christmas by giving your children a devotional experience that adorns your tree with Christian symbols.
The Advent Jesse Tree offers 25 devotions for each day from December 1st to December 25th, Christmas Day… The day Christians celebrate that God’s purpose was finally revealed in the coming of the savior, Jesus Christ. Each devotion traces the heritage of Jesus through the stories and prophecies of the Old Testament. This book enables individuals and families to engage in a more meaningful celebration of the Christmas season. These daily Advent devotions are written in two versions (one for children and one for adults) including a scripture, a story and commentary, questions to ask, a prayer, and a song.
Each devotional story is paired with a representative symbol that traces the heritage of Jesus… Such as a lamb, a dove, a rainbow, a heart, a star, etc. Children and their parents can utilize the symbolic line art printed with each daily devotion to craft meaningful ornaments. These symbols coincide with the prayers, memory verses, questions for children, and songs found in the devotions for that day.
Finally, on Christmas day, your tree will be filled with reminders of 25 Bible stories that led up to Christ’s birth.
https://amzn.to/36TPiTs – book
https://amzn.to/2p7Nbu6 – ornaments
The Advent Story Book
Benjamin Bear cannot wait for Christmas to come. To help the time pass more quickly, his mother tells him that every day when he opens a door on his Advent calendar she’ll tell him a story about another little bear and his long, arduous journey to Bethlehem.The little bear, led by a glittering star, meets many others on his travels. His adventures, filled with acts of heroism and kindness and many small miracles, show him the path to the Christ Child. A beautiful book that teaches the true spirit of Christmas.
https://amzn.to/2pa5Fu7 – Book
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4 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Devil's food cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pkg chips (peanut butter, mint, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350F. In mixing bowl, beat cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil. Batter will be very stiff.
- Stir in chips.
- Roll into 1 inch balls.
- Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until a slight indentation remains when lightly touched.
- Cool for 2 minutes before moving to wire rack.
Notes
Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 4 eggs
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 package powdered sugar about half of a 2lb bag
Instructions
Bars
- In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil & pumpkin.
- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, & salt and them gradually add to pumpkin mixture.
- Lightly coat jelly roll pan with cooking spray and pour mixture in.
- Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Beat ingredients together in small bowl until smooth.
Notes
Super Simple Loaded Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 pkg frozen beef and bean burritos
- 1 can cheddar cheese
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 can rotel
- 1/4 cups milk
- burrito toppings of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place frozen burritos in greased 9x13 baking dish.
- In desperate bowl mix nacho cheese, mushroom soup, Rotel and milk until combined.
- Pour mixture over top of burritos.
- Cover baking dish with tin foil.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Top with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and sour cream if desired.
- Enjoy!